Protectionist Party

The Protectionist Party was a conservative political party in Australia that was active from 1887 to 1909. The party, based in New South Wales, centered its views on protectionism. The party advocated for protective tariffs, arguing that it would allow for Australian industry to grow and provide employment; the party also advocated for industrialization and the concept of a "White Australia", opposing non-white immigration. The party was strongest in Victoria and rural New South Wales, and it would merge into the Commonwealth Liberal Party in 1909.